Mounting means for carrier

ABSTRACT

A horizontal tray or other carrier is supported at its ends by spaced hanger brackets which overhang spaced projecting arms of a support. The brackets may comprise detent projections locking against the bottom surface of the arms. The brackets facilitate mounting and dismounting of the tray, and the detent projections serve to releasably lock the hanger in position.

United States Patent 11 1 Wood [54] MOUNTING MEANS FOR CARRIER [75] Inventor: Hamilton L. Wood, Charlottesville,

Assignee: Acme Visible Records, Inc., Crozet,

Filedz Sept. 14, 1971 Appl. No.: 180,358

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3/1965 Havlis ..211/148 X 2/1965 Evans .L ..21l/135 X 1451 Apr. 3, 1973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 277,602 9/1951 Switzerland 108/ 107 914,654 1/1963 Great Britain Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss Attorney-Lee J. Gary et al.

57 ABSTRACT A horizontal tray or other carrier is supported at its ends by spaced hanger brackets which overhang spaced projecting arms of a support. The brackets may comprise detent projections locking against the bottom surface of the arms. The brackets facilitate mounting and dismounting of the tray, and the detent projections serve to releasably lock the hanger in position.

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PATENIEDAPR 3 I875 SHEET 2 BF 2 MOUNTING MEANS FOR CARRIER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved hanger mounting means and more particularly to a carrier comprising a hanger and detent locking means adapted to overhang projecting arms of a movable or stationary support.

The present invention is particularly suitable for use in connection with elevator-type filing apparatus, wherein a plurality of spaced trays or file supports are mounted in a cabinet and are successively moved into and out of a position of access. In the Toms U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,832, incorporated herein by reference, a vertically disposed elevator-type filing apparatus enclosed in a cabinet conveys a plurality of trays in an elliptical path, in order to successively present single trays at an opening in the cabinet for access. The trays are each supported at their ends by pins projecting from an endless sprocket chain.

l-leretofore, the trays have been mounted by means of screws or bolts passing through the trays and into projecting arms of a support mounted on a sprocket chain pin. Mounting and dismounting of the trays is therefore time consuming and tedious. Moreover, in the event that a tray becomes jammed against a relatively stationary object, the tray and other components of the filing apparatus may be seriously damaged.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide means to facilitate mounting and dismounting of a tray or shelf on a support. v

Another object is the provision of an improved mounting means of hanger type which releasably locks into position on the support.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is fragmentary plan view of the novel carrier mounting means;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the structure in FIG. 1, the carrier being omitted;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the novel unformed carrier hanger bracket;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken through respective section lines 4-4 and 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the novel carrier; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in connection withthe apparatus shown shown in the Toms U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,832, although arms 12 and 14 at the ends thereof is centrally mounted on one end of a pin 16. The arms 12 and 14 are substantially parallel to the bar 10. A pair of drive arms 18 and 19 are jointly engaged to the pin 16 and diverge away therefrom to respective pivotal connections with a drive chain (not shown). A triangular plate 20 is also connected to the pin and carries a pair of rollers 22 and 24, adapted to travel in guides (not shown) for the purpose of stabilizing the tray while in motion and while at rest. These and other features relating to the drive and stabilizing mechanism are conventional and are clearly illustrated in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,832. As shown in FIG. 1, a hanger bracket 26 is secured at the end of a tray 28 and is adapted to overhang the projecting coplanar arms 12 and 14.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the hanger bracket 26 is preferably formed from a single stamped sheet ofmetal which is bent at right angles where indicated by dot dash lines. The sheet comprises a generally rectangular body portion 31 having a pair of spaced rectangular tabs 32 and 34 projecting from one edge thereof. The tabs 32 and 34, after being formed as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, constitute spaced hangers defining a pair of channels into which the respective projecting arms 12 and 14 are received. A single elongate tab 36 projects from the opposite edge of the body 31 and is bent in the opposite direction to form a lower flange support for the tray 28. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the tab 36 is secured at a plurality of locations to the bottom surface of the tray 28. The body 31 either forms one side of the tray, as shown, or may be secured to a separate side of the tray.

It will also be noted in FIG. 1 that the space between the hanger brackets 12 and 14 accommodates the central portion of the body of the bar. The top walls of the hanger brackets 12 and 14 are connected by an integral coplanar strip 33, which overlies and is supported upon the body of the bar 10 between the brackets. In this manner, the brackets are supported along their'entire width on the bar. I

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hanger tabs 32 and 34 and the strip'33 are formed by right angle bends on an edge of the body 31 and the tabs arebent a second time to form a rectangular channel with the body. The channel is of sufficient width to snugly accommodate the arm, such as 12, between the body and the tab. As shown in FIG. 4, the edge of each hanger tab is flared outward to facilitate mounting of the hanger brackets on the arms. In addition, a sharp inwardly facing ledge or detent segment 38 is provided near the edge of one or both of the tabs 32 and 34. The detents 38 are positioned so as to lock against and under the bottom corner of a corresponding arm and thereby secure the shelf in its mounted position. The shelf may be conveniently removed by applying a slight prying force between the tabs 32 and 34 and the body 31 while lifting the shelf in an upward direction. The detents 38 also serve as a safety feature in that the shelves will release from the arms under heavy forces caused by jamming. r

The cradle or tray 28, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, is generally rectangular in shape, with the bodies of the respective hanger brackets 26 and 26a forming the end vertical walls thereof. The side vertical walls 40 and 42 and bottom wall 44 of the tray is preferably formed of one sheet of metal doubled over at its longitudinal edges and bent at right angles along two longitudinal lines parallel to said edges in the area of double sheet wall 42 is shorter in height than the rear wall 40, in order to facilitate access to the contents of the installed tray.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, it will be obvious that various modifications and changes in design in the present invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Mounting means for a carrier comprising the combination of a pair of spaced parallel bars, each of said bars comprising an outwardly projecting medial portion connected to a support and a pair of arms extending therefrom, a carrier, a bracket at opposite ends of said carrier engageable with respective bars, each of said brackets vcomprising a pair of spaced hangers hooked over the respective arms of a bar with the medial portion therebetween, and lug means formed on one of said hangers engageable with the lower edge of one of said arms.

2. The mounting means of claim 1 wherein said hangers are each formed ofa single sheet of material having a pair of spaced tabs extending from one edge thereof, said tabs forming a portion of said hangers and being bent to conform to the external shape of said arms.

3. The mounting means of claim 2 wherein a tab on the opposite edge of said sheet is bent at an angle to support said carrier.

4. The mounting means of claim 1 .wherein each of said hangers has a lower free edge flared outward from its respective arm.

5. The mounting means of claim 1 wherein a strip is secured between the tops of hangers of each bracket, said strip being supported upon the medial portion of said bar. 

1. Mounting means for a carrier comprising the combination of a pair of spaced parallel bars, each of said bars comprising an outwardly projecting medial portion connected to a support and a pair of arms extending therefrom, a carrier, a bracket at opposite ends of said carrier engageable with respective bars, each of said brackets comprising a pair of spaced hangers hooked over the respective arms of a bar with the medial portion therebetween, and lug means formed on one of said hangers engageable with the lower edge of one of said arms.
 2. The mounting means of claim 1 wherein said hangers are each formed of a single sheet of material having a pair of spaced tabs extending from one edge thereof, said tabs forming a portion of said hangers and being bent to conform to the external shape of said arms.
 3. The mounting means of claim 2 wherein a tab on the opposite edge of said sheet is bent at an angle to support said carrier.
 4. The mounting means of claim 1 wherein each of said hangers has a lower free edge flared outward from its respective arm.
 5. The mounting means of claim 1 wherein a strip is secured between the tops of hangers of each bracket, said strip being supported upon the medial portion of said bar.
 6. The mounting means of claim 2 wherein the free edges of said tabs are flared outward and are spaced from said arms, and wherein a detent lug is provided in each of said tabs, said detent lug gripping an edge of its respective arm. 